The Beginning of the End
by avi17
Summary: The chronicle of the rise and fall of the Four Original Dragons. *06/20/12- Editing back in progress*
1. Prologue

[Edit 05/06/12- Going back and doing some editing to this before I get going on the next chapter. None of them are major or plot-altering, they mostly concern either small writing style things or trying to make it more historically accurate (somehow I failed to realize that "books" as we know them today did not exist in 500 A.D. *punches self*]

This is definitely going to be my longest project to date. It will encompass the entirety of the lives of these four during their time together, 1500 years ago. Rating will be PG13 to soft R overall, though this chapter is G. There will be het, and there will be slash, although more than that you'll just have to wait for.

Enjoy the beginning of an era.

* * *

_The Beginning of the End_

_Prologue_

* * *

The year was 499 A.D. A steady hiss of rain assaulted the simple bamboo roof of a small, secluded temple nestled in the mountains of China. Despite the late hour and weather conditions, the indoor lanterns could still be seen shining through the windows. A young boy sat curled up just inside the doorway. He wore a simple robe of red cotton, and a black sash adorned his slender waist. As the light from the lantern that hung from the wall just above him flickered in the wind, it cast quivering shadows on his clean-shaven head. He shivered- the night air was cold in the mountains- and struggled not to nod off to sleep. All fatigue vanished, however, as a faint, animated shadow appeared in the distance through the rain.

As it drew rapidly closer, the single shadow became four, one tall and three small. A huge grin spread across the bald boy's face and he nimbly hopped to his feet and out of the doorway as the people hurried inside to get out of the downpour. The boy, Dashi, would never forget this first impression of his lifelong friends- out of breath, mud-spattered, and sopping wet- and years later, it still would make him laugh.

The tallest of the newly arrived children had a square jaw and oddly prominent cheekbones for someone so young, with sharp features that stood out particularly when the lantern light cast his face into semi-shadow. His garb revealed him to be an average, sturdy village boy, or perhaps a farmer's son, and like Dashi, his head was shaven, save for a shoulder-length black braid that fell from the very back. Immediately upon arriving, he collapsed against the wall with an exhausted sigh.

The second child, also a boy, looked to be the polar opposite of the first. He was thin and clearly underfed, and his long, matted dark hair clung to an olive-toned face with gentle features and eyes that were just a bit too large. He wore only a ripped tunic, and even the hard sheets of rain had not quite managed to cleanse him of what appeared to be months' worth of caked-on dirt. When he realized that Dashi was looking at him, he turned red in embarrassment and produced a tattered, folded-up scroll from inside his tunic, immediately opening it and burying his nose in it.

Despite the sorry state the newcomers were in, the final child still stood out from the other two, if only because she was the strangest looking person that Dashi had ever seen. Her skin was an exotic shade of bronze, with unusual black stripes starting at the bottom of her eyes and streaking down her cheeks. Since they had not smudged or run because of the rain, the young monk could only guess that they were some sort of tattoos, not painted on. She wore tribal clothing in a style that Dashi did not recognize- brightly colored and intricately wrapped- and the beaded ornaments that hung from her ears and wove through her long, shockingly red hair shimmered in the lantern's flickering light. She looked supremely unconcerned with the entire affair, and began absently twirling one of the longer strings of beads around her finger.

No matter what they looked like, Dashi was grateful for any company his own age. Although he had only been training at the temple for two months, it got lonely very quickly for an eleven-year-old when he discovered that that the only other person currently living there was the old temple master, Master Chang. So naturally, he had been ecstatic when the Master Chang had told him that he was leaving for a short time and promised to return with new students. Now, Dashi approached the elderly master, still wearing his exuberant grin and forgetting to bow in his excitement, and said, "I'm so glad you're back, Master! Did you have to run all the way here in the rain?"

The master shook his head and laughed, answering, "Thankfully, no, young monk. It began only a few minutes ago." He gestured to the other children. "Allow me to introduce you to our new students. Guan, the future Dragon of Fire." The sharp-featured boy looked up when he heard his name, offering a small nod and a weary smile. Master Chang continued, inclining his head to the smallest boy. "Chase Young, Dragon of Water." This didn't surprise Dashi in the least, as this boy appeared to be the only one not bothered at all by the fact that he was soaking wet. However, even when his name was called, he made no move to acknowledge it, still mostly hidden behind his scroll. Chuckling, Master Chang indicated the strangely clothed young girl and said, "And the Dragon of Earth, Wuya." She smirked, making a small 'hmph' noise and tossing her hair, which showered everyone else with droplets of water.

Still smiling, Master Chang moved quietly to the doorway of the temple hall. "I will leave you children to get to know one another," he said, then left the room.

The awkward silence left in the room was alleviated only slightly by the continual hiss of the rain outside, and for several long moments, no one spoke. In a slightly desperate attempt to make conversation, Dashi approached Chase, leaning over his shoulder and asking, "So...what are you reading about?"

Without looking up, Chase answered, "I don't know."

At this point, the other children were also listening, and with a confused glance, Guan inquired, "You don't know? Is it that hard to understand?"

The olive-skinned boy laughed lightly and shook his head. "No, it's nothing like that. It's just that I don't know how to read." When he noticed the taken-aback looks on the other children's faces, he gave an honest smile and added, "I just like looking at the pictures." Finally looking up from the worn paper, he exclaimed suddenly, "Oh! By the way, I'm Chase." The others chuckled; clearly, he had been too absorbed in his pictures to hear a word that had been exchanged so far.

It was Wuya who sat down next to him, extremely close, and teased in slightly broken accents, "We know." He tried to scoot away from her, but she had latched rather firmly onto his arm while he hadn't been paying attention.

Stifling another laugh, Dashi said, "Come on, let's go to bed. You guys look tired." He based this mostly on the fact that Guan had settled back down against the wall and was quietly nodding off. "We have to get up really early every morning here, but it's not that bad once you get used to it." Again, no one responded, and he pouted for a moment at the lack of attention being paid to him- particularly by the intriguing red-haired girl- but brightened back up quickly. "Oh, and I'm Dashi. I'm going to be the Dragon of Wind someday!" He grinned enthusiastically and motioned for the other children to follow him out of the hall to the sleeping quarters, which after some mumbled protestations from the barely conscious Guan, they eventually did.

When Dashi finally fell asleep, the only reason was to make the next day come faster. He couldn't wait.

* * *

In a back room of the temple, Master Chang bent over a roaring fire, returning a moment later to a table in the center of the room carrying a red, oval-shaped object. He laid the egg on the table and watched, and for a moment all it did was smoke gently. Then, a faint tapping sound could be heard, and a single ivory-colored claw poked its way through the shell. More claws followed, then a larger crack appeared and the end of a snout pushed through. Finally, the shell split cleanly down the middle and a tiny creature plopped out onto the table. It was shaped something like a ribbon, with fine green scales and a crest and beard of red fur. Smiling, the temple master gently picked it up and scratched its belly. The little dragon cooed happily and began to chew on his finger.

"Welcome to the world, Dojo."

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_End Prologue_

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Feedback is much appreciated.


	2. Chapter 1

An edit- because of the time lapse, the first chapter became a prologue, and this is now Chapter 1. Some time lapses will be required, considering that this story will eventually span over a period of 16 years, but I'll try to avoid another one this monumental.

Enjoy the happy chapter!

* * *

_The Beginning of the End_

_Chapter 1_

* * *

It had been nearly two years since that rainy night that the four Xiaolin Dragons-to-be had first met, and among other things, the weather had significantly improved. It was a gorgeous, sunny spring morning, complete with the stereotypical twittering birds and fluffy clouds, but the four monk children were not given the opportunity to go out and enjoy it; at least, not until the grand hall was spotless. As much as they resented being stuck inside, none of them could deny that chores were a rather interesting affair. After all, it wasn't as though they ever got much actual cleaning done.

"Will you _stop_ that?" Guan snapped from where he was down on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor; he attempted to swat away the thin but steady stream of soapy water that was pouring down onto his head, but that only served to get him wetter. Shielding his face with his hand, he turned his head upwards to glare at Wuya, who was perched delicately on one of the roof-beams with a bucket of water. She smirked and poured more of the soapy liquid as he yelled, "You're _supposed_ to be cleaning the ceiling!"

"Well, you need it far more than the ceiling does!" she retorted through her uncontrollable giggling.

Before Guan could make any retort, another voice broke into the argument, pleading gently, "Come on, Wuya; let him alone." Chase was tearing the worn paper from the windows and replacing it with new, and had his long hair tied back in a scarf to keep it out of his face and eyes. Although with his soft features and mild voice, he seemed easily the least threatening one there, Wuya did not hesitate in obeying him. She pouted a bit, but returned sulkily to scrubbing the woven strips of wood above her.

Guan frowned, and rather than returning to his cleaning, took a moment to watch the other two. It was fairly amusing, the way Chase had Wuya practically wrapped around his little finger due to her obvious crush on him, and yet was completely oblivious to it. Admittedly, though, he would have found it much funnier if he wasn't also rather enamored of the slightly younger boy. All the monks were good friends, despite their spats and disagreements, but over the last two years, he and Chase had become particularly close. Still, it seemed that Chase was innocently unaware not only of Wuya's interest, but of the entire affair. He sighed, returning to his work; sometimes, Chase just was entirely too naive for a thirteen-year-old.

Suddenly, two light 'thump's were heard, and when the two boys turned to look, they saw that Wuya had hopped down from the roofing beam and set down her water bucket and cloth. "This is getting boring," she complained disdainfully, plopping down rather ungracefully against the wall and beginning to fix up her hair. "I thought we'd be through with manual labor once we were promoted to Xiaolin Apprentices, but-"

At that moment, the sliding door to the grand hall flew open, and the final child came barreling in with Dojo the dragon on his shoulder and shouting, "I did it- it works! You aren't going to believe this! It works!"

This proclamation was met with complete silence as Wuya, Chase, and Guan stared at their friend. It was Guan who finally spoke. "Dashi, you've been holed up in your room for weeks now-"

Wuya cut him off and continued, "And considering that you haven't bothered to tell us what you've been doing..." She got to her feet and stalked over to him, finishing in an annoyed tone of voice, "...you can't honestly expect us to have any idea what it is that you're talking about."

He gave a mock sigh, smirking. "Wuya, Wuya, my dear Wuya..." He snaked an arm around her slender waist, which she forcibly removed, looking disturbed. Quite undeterred, he continued, "I've been experimenting. See, I found that , with the right focus, you can turn a Xiaolin magic spell solid, and manipulate the object you've created to channel its effect into the holder. ...Well, that's the theory, but this is the first time I've gotten it to work." He stated this last part with undeniable pride.

His friends all wore expressions of astonished disbelief, and the dragon on his shoulder muttered, "I always knew he was crazy." Dashi scowled and flicked Dojo from his perch.

Digging around inside his tunic, the Wind Apprentice pulled out a small gold and red disc. "Look- I call it the Mantis Flip Coin. Watch!" He flipped it dramatically into the air, catching it with a flourish and calling out, "Mantis Flip Coin!" With no sign of effort, he leapt nimbly into the air, tapping the roof beam at the crest of his jump before flipping back to the ground for a perfect landing. He flashed a triumphant grin.

Wuya appeared thoroughly unimpressed. "Dashi, we all know that you've been able to move like that for months. What does that silly coin have to do with it?"

His grin only widened at her skepticism. "_I_ may be able to do that without help," he said, pausing momentarily to toss the coin to Chase, who caught it with a confused expression, before concluding, "but Chase can't."

"Hey!" The Water Apprentice exclaimed, looking offended. Aerial maneuvers were not one of his specialties, and being a rather proud child, he didn't appreciate having his weak points pointed out. "I resent that." However, his curiosity got the better of his annoyance, and he flicked the coin into the air with his thumb. "Mantis Flip Coin!" As soon as he caught it, he sprung backwards in a fancy pattern of flips and spins. On the descent, he had to make a conscious effort to avoid colliding with the wall; he hadn't been prepared for the distance of the jump, and by the time he landed, his expression was incredulous. "Dashi, this...this is amazing!" Laughing, he leapt deftly around the room several more times before alighting back on the hall floor and staring in wonderment at the magical object he held. "Are you going to try to make more of these things?"

Nodding, Dashi exclaimed, "Of course! There are all kinds of powers I could give them!" He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful, before suggesting, "I was considering calling them Shen Gong Wu."

From the spot against the wall where he had been amusedly watching the entire spectacle, Guan inquired, "The Tools of God? Doesn't that seem a bit high-and-mighty?"

"Well, maybe now," Dashi admitted, before making a dramatic gesture out of tucking the magical coin back into his tunic, "but someday I intend to be able to give them powers worthy of a name like that!" His black eyes glittered with excitement.

Guan's smile widened at his friend's ambition, but Wuya rolled her brilliantly green eyes, stating doubtfully, "It all seems a bit silly to me."

Shaking his head in exasperation, the Wind Apprentice leaned against the bronze-skinned girl and promised, "I'll make a believer out of you yet." Moving closer, he pressed a quick and extremely audacious kiss to her cheek and immediately bolted for the nearest door. After a stunned moment, she flew after him, blushing furiously and shouting rather unpleasant threats. The two remaining Dragon Apprentices, along with Dojo, were in uncontrollable fits of laughter at their friends' antics. As soon as he was calm enough to breathe properly, the little green dragon slithered up to wrap around Chase's arm, pointing out, "You know, this place still needs to be cleaned."

Before either child could reply, a knock sounded from the far door, and Master Chang was revealed to be standing in the doorway, although how long he had been there was anyone's guess. His expression was somber, and once he was sure he had the children's attention, he said quietly, "Young monks, once you have finished your chores, I need to speak to you. Please be sure that Dashi and Wuya know this as well- it is a matter of great importance."

Both Apprentices bowed respectfully, and Chase muttered a slightly apprehensive, "Yes, master." After the elderly monk had left the hall, the Apprentice of Water turned to his companion and inquired worriedly, "What do you think he wants to talk about?"

Guan picked up both buckets of water and both cloths, not replying. After the momentary silence, he answered uncertainly, "I don't know..." Dunking both tattered cleaning-cloths into the soapy water, he held one out to Chase. "But we do need to finish cleaning, considering that _those_ two," he gestured to the door through which Dashi and Wuya had exited, "probably won't be back." He offered his friend a warm smile and added, "We can get the floor done in no time with both of us, and then I'll help you with the windows."

"Thank you." Returning the smile, Chase accepted the proffered rag, and with a simultaneous sigh, the two boys sat down on the half-cleaned floor and began to scrub. Dojo watched the two uninterestedly for a few minutes before crawling into the most secluded corner of the room, curling up into a little green ball and going to sleep.

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_End Chapter 1_

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A point of interest- the phrase "Shen Gong Wu" translates from Chinese to English as "Tool of God", which is what Guan is talking about.

Feedback is much appreciated.


	3. Chapter 2

Another rather upbeat chapter, though it may be the last one for a while. Though I really had to fight through parts of it, it was fun to write. And it's definitely the longest chapter so far, which is good, seeing as the first two were rather short.

EDIT 05/11/12: Changed the slingshot to a sling, since slingshots actually weren't invented til the 1800s (who knew?) This is what I mean by a sling, by the way, not the thing you put on a broken arm. XD (remove the spaces) http:/ /en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Sling_%28weapon%29

Enjoy!

* * *

_The Beginning of the End_

_Chapter 2_

* * *

"What did you want to talk to us about, Master?" asked a somewhat disheveled Chase Young. He and Guan had ended up finishing the cleaning themselves; just as predicted, Dashi and Wuya had not returned to help at all. Now the four stood in a line in front of their master in the grand hall. Dashi and Chase were at least somewhat attentive, while Wuya absently picked at her nails and Guan did his best to wring the soapy water out of his hair.

Master Chang cleared his throat rather loudly, drawing the eyes of his four disciples, who finally all appeared to be listening to him. Satisfied, he began, "The matter I wish to discuss concerns your promotions to Xiaolin apprentices. As Dragon-in-training, the main focus of your training was purely physical. You were taught the fighting style pertaining to your element; now you will learn to harness the element itself." From a small wooden box that sat on the floor next to him, he produced four rather nondescript objects: a candle, an empty cup, a small windsock attached to a thin stick, and a simple sling made of some kind of braided cord. Handing each of the items to its corresponding child, he instructed, "Go now, young monks. When you return tomorrow, I will expect you to have discovered a way to use your elements to fulfill the purposes of these items." With that half-explanation, he collected the box and exited the room.

Turning to the others with a baffled expression, Wuya burst out, "_What_ are we supposed to do with these!" She held her sling in both hands, examining it critically. "That explanation made no sense!"

"It did, in a way..." the Apprentice of Water mused thoughtfully, tossing his cup from hand to hand. However, the expectant expressions of his friends failed to coax him into elaborating on his apparent understanding.

Slightly irked, Dashi pointed out, "It's not all that difficult. I suppose we have to create a form of our element and use it in conjunction with whatever he gave us. Guan would have to light the candle...and I guess Wuya would have to make ammunition for the sling." Upon noticing the incredulous look she gave him, he shrugged, then finished, "We'll find out tomorrow." With a determined nod from the other three, the Apprentices each left for a quiet area of the temple where they could attempt the seemingly simple, yet confusing task.

* * *

"Focus...come on, focus..." Concentrating every particle of his energy into the tips of his fingers, Guan held them lightly to the wick of the candle that sat on the floor of the meditation hall in front of him and commanded silently, 'Fire!' Nothing happened. He tried again, harder, but his fingers didn't even feel the slightest bit warm. Extremely frustrated, the Fire Apprentice slammed a clenched fist into the hard wooden floor, ignoring the resulting ache in the bones of his hand. Closing his eyes and exhaling slowly, he prepared for another attempt, but was interrupted by the sound of the door creaking open. Startled out of his concentration, he leapt to his feet, eyes darting around the room, before focusing on the silhouette in the doorway.

"...Guan?" came a slightly apprehensive inquiry. Since he had extinguished the lanterns in the meditation hall, it was too dark to make out a face, but the curtain of dark hair that fell to the figure's narrow shoulders and its soft voice made it quite obvious who it was.

Lighting one of the lanterns along the wall, the Fire Apprentice gave a relieved sigh and admitted, "I'm sorry about that, Chase. You just surprised me a bit." He sat back down on the smooth floor next to his candle and asked, "How are you doing with your element?"

"I think I have it!" Smiling happily, the smaller boy held out the cup he had been given, and with a minute twinge of jealousy, Guan noticed that it was filled to the brim with clear water. He sighed; he was honestly happy for his best friend's achievement, but he was extremely frustrated that he couldn't do the same.

Noticing the troubled expression on the other young monk's face, Chase approached his friend and knelt across from him, the stubborn candle sitting between them. "I guess it's not working so well for you," he said sympathetically, not really expecting an answer and not receiving one. Reaching out an olive-skinned hand, he ran his fingertips over the length of the candle, examining it thoroughly, before moving to do the same with his friend's hand. The Fire Apprentice started at the unexpected touch, and a moment later, Chase quickly retracted his hand with a hiss of pain. Guan's fingers felt strangely warm, and he realized that in that moment of surprise, he had accidentally conjured a flash of fire. Unfortunately, the candle wick had not ignited, and the younger boy now had an angry, red burn mark to show for it. Guan opened his mouth to apologize, but the Water Apprentice shook his head with an honest, though slightly pained laugh. "See, you did it!" he exclaimed happily, offering the candle to his mortified friend. "Now you just need to learn to control it.

Sighing, Guan once again extended his hands over the candle, focusing his energy and mentally ordering it to light.

Nothing happened.

"I'm _never_ going to get this!"

* * *

"That doesn't look like practicing your element, Dashi," Wuya pointed out grumpily, sorely tempted to pelt the bald boy with one of the stone projectiles she had managed to create for the sling. From the doorway of the room where she stood, his back was facing her, so she was unable to see exactly what he was doing. His hands moved constantly and erratically through the air in front of him, and as she proceeded into his room and moved around in front of him, she realized that they were circling a shimmering, translucent golden cloud that was suspended in the air and shone with an almost blinding light. His slanted eyes, though open, were glazed and sightless, and his round face was utterly devoid of expression as he worked. Whether or not she cared to admit it, she was utterly fascinated, and she watched as intently as if she was in a trance herself. Slowly, the Wind Apprentice's hands began to abandon their random gestures and instead to trace a definite pattern within the golden mist, and as the shape was defined, the cloud began to condense and solidify. The form was that of an eccentrically-shaped blade with a cylindrical handle, made entirely of gold. Dashi traced ornate designs over the now completely solid sword, and his fingers left grooves matching the drawn patterns in the metal. Suddenly, he thrust out his hand and grabbed the handle, the glow of the magic fading. For a moment, they both stared, but he snapped back to reality first and, smirking, asked smoothly, "So, how long have you been here?"

Wuya turned red with embarrassment and turned her back on the other child, stammering, "N-not long." She hid her interest in what the Wind Apprentice had been doing by berating him. "Why aren't you practicing your element?"

Smirking more widely, Dashi answered simply, "I am. The windsock was too easy." Pointing over at the limp windsock, which he had balanced upright by wedging it between a pair of tables, he exclaimed, "Watch this!" After flipping the newly-created weapon from hand to hand a few times, he held the handle and began to swing it in front of himself in slow, dramatic circles. The golden sword flashed impressively as the spinning accelerated. Bracing his feet while still twirling the blade, the Wind Apprentice shouted, "Sword of the Storm!"

A monumental gust of wind burst from the vortex of the swirling blade, threatening to rip the flimsy windsock from its pole. Laughing, its controller began a more complicated pattern of spins, and the colliding winds twisted into a miniature cyclone. Luckily, Dashi decided then that the demonstration had gone far enough, and desisted, causing the winds to die down. He gave Wuya an expectant look.

The Apprentice of Earth had to suppress a slight smile. She reminded herself that she ought to be disgusted by such obvious showing off, but she was rather grudgingly impressed. To avoid having to say anything, she waited until Dashi had given up and turned away, then discreetly focused her energy into her left hand. Just like her earlier practice, a rough stone appeared, though a bit larger and far lighter than before. Fitting it into the sling, she swung it around a couple times, aiming carefully for his, in her opinion, rather inflated head, and let it fly. Since the rock she had conjured was so full of air that it had no real weight, she was quite sure that the impact would not seriously harm the other monk. Nonetheless, he never saw it coming.

"Hey! That was totally uncalled for!"

* * *

"That was wonderful, Chase!" Wuya gave an uncharacteristic squeal and squeezed the Water Apprentice tightly around his diminutive waist. Offering her an honest, if rather innocent smile, he returned the congratulations. The next morning had come, and the Apprentices' elemental abilities were being assessed by the temple master. With the appearance of little or no effort at all, Chase had managed to send a shimmering arc of water through the air and into his cup, like a crystal fountain. Next, Dashi had demonstrated his wind abilities also quite easily, using both his own energy and that of his new Shen Gong Wu. Although Master Chang was exceedingly impressed with his two youngest students, he was rather less pleased when Wuya had decided to show off the stone projectiles she had made for her sling by tearing several holes in the new paper in the grand hall's windows. And unfortunately, Guan had still been completely unable to light his candle, and having become quite embarrassed and depressed, was being consoled by Dashi.

Not loosening her vice-like grasp of Chase's blue-and-red-clad waist, Wuya temporarily returned her attention to their elderly master and asked bluntly, "Master Chang, I have a question. Yesterday, you made it sound like everything you were going to be telling us was bad news. What was all the foreboding about?"

The somber, brooding expression once again darkened the temple master's face and after a contemplative pause, he explained, "I assure you, young monks, that my apprehension is not unwarranted. You see, your elemental training is not the only thing I need to speak to you about." Walking slowly across the smooth, wooden floor to one of the few unbroken windows, he gestured to the outside and elaborated, "At this age of the world, monsters populate the Earth as widely as humans." At this statement, Chase's eyes darkened and his expression turned momentarily pained, but the other children were too absorbed in Master Chang's speech to take any notice. The elderly man continued, "Cyclopes, serpents, wicked dragons... Your responsibility as Xiaolin monks is self-improvement, to achieve all you can in the discipline of your lives; you know this already. But your responsibility as Xiaolin _warriors_ is to oppose evil wherever it rises, to fight for the cause of good. Now that you have reached the rank of Xiaolin Apprentice, you are ready to accept this duty."

During their master's speech, Dashi's characteristic cocky grin had returned full-force and, unable to contain himself any longer, he burst out, "Yes!" Twirling the Sword of the Storm, he exclaimed, "I've been waiting for this chance!"

Wuya snorted, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Just don't bite off more than you can chew."

With grim determination, Chase pointed out, "This won't be easy." Still doubtful, Guan said nothing.

Before they could begin a real conversation, Master Chang interrupted ominously, "Listen to me well, young monks. As confident as you may feel, your abilities- not only your elemental, but your physical as well- are only beginning to develop. Cups and candles will not help you against the truly powerful monsters. When you begin to go on quests, you must do _only_ what I tell you to do; there is more danger in these missions than you suspect."

He was immediately answered with a small chorus of "Yes, master," but as the young Apprentice warriors resumed their excited conversation, he sensed that they did not truly comprehend the power of the evil forces they would face. They were young, naive, and foolish, and like all young people, they believed themselves to be invincible. As he imagined everything that could go amiss in this new stage, the sense of foreboding increased.

He hoped he was wrong.

* * *

_End Chapter 2_

* * *

Oh dear. Do I smell the distinct odor of foreshadowing?

Feedback is much appreciated.


	4. Chapter 3

I won't deny that I had absolutely no intention of making this chapter this long. However, I'm happy with it, so I'm not going to mess with it. A bit of a warning is necessary here, as this chapter is the first one that actually warrants the PG13 rating for violence. It isn't _too _terribly graphic, but still...a fair warning.

Enjoy!

* * *

_The Beginning of the End_

_Chapter 3_

* * *

"You know," mused the Apprentice of Water, stepping lightly over the rather mutilated corpse of a gigantic cyclops. "I just may have been wrong. These missions are almost _too _easy." In the year that had passed since the four young monks had become Xiaolin Apprentices, little Chase Young had, at least physically, ceased to be a child. Although he was barely fourteen, he already possessed the long-limbed grace and pride of a young adult. He had gotten taller, though he was still shorter than both other boys of the group, and his straight, dark hair now fell to the bottom of his shoulder blades. However, his face had retained the gentle features and wide-eyed innocence that characterized it, and it was currently twisted into an expression of mild disgust at the monster he and his friends had butchered. Sounding slightly nauseated, he let out a muttered "ew" before adding, "Master Chang made it sound like we would be facing real danger.

Leaning against a tree-trunk and folding his arms in front of him, Guan nodded and replied, "True enough. We have yet to have a real challenge." Unlike his friend, he had changed very little in appearance, but since he had always looked older than he was, he had no complaint about it.

The female of the group, on the other hand, had developed the most out of any of them. Instead of her formerly boyish body, she now was beginning to have a woman's curves, and even in her nondescript monk's attire was certainly unashamed of showing them off. She had forsaken her pigtails in favor of letting her slightly wavy red hair hang loose to her hips, and had made a habit of applying wine-colored paint to her lips, even on days of training or fighting. She nodded her head, flipping her hair behind her shoulders, but said nothing.

At that moment, these new features were being admired by the last of the adolescent Apprentices, as they often were. Dashi had shot upwards in height, but little else about him had changed, particularly not his playful demeanor. "Well, at least we got to get creative with this one," he said, laughing when a still vaguely ill-looking Chase glared at him.

That day, the four Apprentices had been sent on yet another mission to deal with a cyclops that had been wreaking havoc on a nearby valley, which was bowl-shaped and heavily forested, with a dark, circular lake in the very center. The hulking, one-eyed creatures were ridiculously common, although the reason for this was quite unexplainable; considering the monsters' usual level of intelligence, the young monks occasionally wondered how they hadn't yet died out by blundering off cliffs out of sheer stupidity. Their impressive size and brute strength did make them a serious threat to normal people, but even for a group of adolescent student warriors, they were an easy kill. Aside from cyclopes, the only monsters they had faced were acromantulas, but they were weak unless they were in large groups. As it was, the lack of any challenge was beginning to become frustrating.

The absence of real competition, however, had not hindered their training. The time for windsocks and candles was long past, and Master Chang worked the Apprentices to the bone every day to teach them to master their elemental powers. Dashi and Chase had taken to their magical abilities easily, but the other two had been less fortunate. Although Wuya was able to harness her Earth element, the sheer magnitude of its power was outside her control, and she rarely dared to use her abilities in battle. On the other hand, Guan's fire abilities were pitifully weak, and he had fallen so far behind the others that he had resorted to becoming an almost purely physical fighter.

From his place against the tree, Guan watched his three friends chatting idly and laughing over the corpse of their foe. He sighed; sometimes, between the constant training and fighting, it was so easy to forget that they were, in fact, still teenagers. They'd had their fair share of fun, as well as the typical petty arguments, but even the latter were few and far between- there simply wasn't time. In actuality, very little in any of their relationships had been altered by the passing time; the same friendships, as well as the same childish affections and rivalries, remained unchanged purely because they were given no chance to blossom or wither. As always, the Earth and Fire apprentices competed for their Water-elemental friend's attention, but neither was ever given the chance to make any further moves. As always, said Water-elemental remained completely oblivious, and as always, the unfortunate Wind Apprentice's feelings toward his female comrade generally went unreciprocated.

Once they had made absolutely certain that their foe was destroyed and that the threat of an attack by more of its kind was not an imminent one, the four decided to begin the tedious, two-day hike back to the temple. However, as they prepared to leave, Chase tilted his head upwards, inhaling deeply. "It feels like rain," he muttered, frowning.

Upon imitating the Water Apprentice, Dashi agreed, "Yeah, it does." Sure enough, not five minutes later, they felt the first drops. It began as just a light spitting, but soon progressed into a hard deluge, and the dark clouds were illuminated with flashes of lightning. None of them bothered to run for cover, though; they were hot, sweaty, and bloody from their battle and the rain felt good.

Wuya's expression became troubled. "We shouldn't leave in this- the climb will be way too difficult."

"What are we supposed to do, then?" Guan asked, a bit perturbed. "We can hardly just stay here."

"I don't think we have much of a choice," Chase pointed out, though he didn't look particularly unhappy about it. Sighing contentedly, he ran his fingers through the foremost strands of his soaked hair and smiled as the excess water streamed over his fingers and down his arms. Wuya had to stand up on tiptoes to reach the Water Apprentice's head properly, but she did so anyways, reaching out to make a playful attempt to fluff the limply-hanging strands of his dark hair. After a quiet moment, she noticed that a strangely rubbery hand wrapped in green vine tendrils was poking her incessantly on the shoulder from behind. Rolling her eyes, she snatched the vine, which morphed back into the flower-shaped Lotus Twister, and Dashi's hand went flying back at him like elastic and smacked him full in the face. The Earth Apprentice giggled mischievously as he grumbled and rubbed at the red mark that had appeared on his cheek.

"A-_hem,_" Guan made a vain attempt to get his friends' attention before giving up and talking over them. "There was a rock ledge of sorts over by the far edge of the lake. We could stay there until the rains stops." Finally paying attention, the others indicated their agreement, though Chase looked disappointed at the prospect of having to get out of the rain.

* * *

After a precarious trek along the slippery edges of the pitch black lake, they reached the ledge Guan had suggested. In reality, it was little more than a small cluster of weather-beaten boulders that jutted out from the steep mountainside, but it was enough for a few small people to squish under. Crouching down as low as he could, Dashi crawled under the ledge and pulled his knees close into his chest to sit. He gestured to the others to join him. Mentally weighing her options, Wuya decided that the possibility of quelling the almost convulsive shivers from the cold and wet was worth a bit of close contact, even if it was with the infuriating Wind Apprentice, and she reluctantly cuddled up next to him. He grinned indulgently and held her tightly around the waist, surprised and pleased when she did not object. The Fire Apprentice moved to join them, but stopped abruptly, squinting out into the rain. Growing alarmed when he saw nothing, he called over his shoulder to the others, "Where's Chase?"

"Wasn't he with you?" Dashi asked uncertainly, reluctantly dislodging his arm from Wuya's waist and stepping back into the pouring rain with the Earth Apprentice close behind.

"I thought he was!" Guan exclaimed a bit frantically, turning his back on the dark expanse of water to survey the heavily forested mountainside. "I know he was behind us on the way here, but- GAH!" He yelped loudly in surprise as a dark figure barreled into him from behind in a splash of lake water. The arms that wrapped around his shoulders were slick, a bit slimy, and coated with fine, green scales, and the slender fingers were connected by thin webbing. Its hair was green like seaweed and even its uncontrollable giggling sounded muffled, as though from lack of air. Sighing shakily in relief, Guan shook his head and said, "Chase..._please_ don't do that."

Loosening his arms from his friend's shoulders, the Water Apprentice placed his hands over his throat and said, "Gills of Hamachi!" As the fishlike characteristics faded and vanished, a swirling, golden choker materialized in his hands. Still laughing quietly, he said apologetically, "I didn't mean to upset you so much. I just thought it was funny." Although he appeared genuinely sorry, a few muffled giggles still escaped, and the other young monks were more than a bit cross at him for worrying them. Acting on the first form of revenge that crossed his mind, Dashi picked up the lighter Water Apprentice by the waist and threw him bodily into the lake.

Chase surfaced moments later, coughing and sputtering. Looking scandalized, he yelled back to the Wind Apprentice, who was standing on the shore wearing an expression of infuriating smugness, "What did you do that for?"

It was Wuya who answered back, teasingly, "You deserved it for worrying us so much!"

Pouting adorably, the waterlogged Chase Young waved a hand limply at his friends, who were growing more visible as the rain thinned out and finally ceased, and called a bit sarcastically, "Come on in- the water is just _lovely_!"

At the younger monk's suggestion, Dashi pointed out, "We might as well. We're already soaked and we don't have anything better to do." Squeezing the water from his black-trimmed, red sleeve, he added, "Well, except to go back to the temple, but what fun is that?"

Chase blinked in surprise as his friends joined him in the chilly lake. Dashi and Wuya jumped in eagerly, and Guan waded slowly behind them. "I wasn't being serious," he pointed out, but immediately ceased any talking as a playful splash from Wuya hit him in the face. Laughing lightly, he threw a handful of water back, using his elemental abilities to shape it into a perfect sphere that exploded in a colossal splash on contact. Immediately, he was bombarded from every direction by more of the slightly murky lake water. "That hardly seems fair!" He pretended to be indignant.

Guan replied, "It's no more unfair than you using your element," but the statement held no real anger.

"Very true," Chase agreed, grinning playfully as he formed an even bigger ball of water.

As the splashing fight continued, the Earth and Wind Apprentices returned to shore and began a rock-skipping contest. Wuya manipulated handfuls of coarse sand and the soil below to form smooth, heavy stones and threw them effortlessly to Dashi, who conjured small but powerful gusts of wind that sent them sailing out over the glassy surface of the lake. Smirking deviously, she created increasingly larger and larger rocks to try to throw him off, but he was never surprised enough to drop one. However, his aim did begin to suffer.

"Would you please be more careful?" Chase called out in alarm as a flying stone narrowly missed his head.

Nonchalantly, Dashi answered, "I'm not going to hit you." Even as he spoke, he blindly hurled another rock out into the very center of the lake. Instead of splashing into the water and sinking, however, it made contact with an obstacle and shattered in an explosive shower of sand. Blinking in surprise, the Wind Apprentice muttered, "Must have hit a log..."

Moments later, all four monks staggered as the entire valley lurched violently, then began to shake and rumble. Circular shock waves rippled from the exact center of the lake- the spot where Dashi's rock had landed. Wuya looked frightened, and she struggled to remain standing as the quaking intensified. "W-what's going on?"

"I don't know!" Guan looked equally alarmed. Grabbing hold of Chase's slender wrist in a firm grip, he pulled his smaller friend to his feet and out of the increasingly turbulent water. As they reached shore, and awful screeching noise echoed through they valley, and a monstrous head on a long neck erupted from the center of the lake in a fountain of water. Fine, dark green scales coated the entire figure, and a finned crest ran up the length of the neck and ended right between the eyes. Those eyes were the barest slits that glittered bright yellow, and when the snakelike jaws opened, they were revealed to be filled with wickedly sharp teeth.

Opening its gaping maw, it let out another painful shriek, and a cacophony of shrill but muffled noises answered. Moments later, the shock waves disappeared, the shaking ceased, and everything was silent. Then in an even larger spray of water, eight more heads rose from the water, along with a multitude of powerful, suction-covered tentacles. All nine heads screeched in unison, and the four young monks staggered backwards with their hands pressed tightly over their ears.

Eyes wide in a mix of awe and terror, Chase breathed, "I've read about those...that's a _hydra_." Since he had learned to read, the Apprentice of Water had spent countless hours with his nose buried in the many scrolls and codices in the temple's library. Any and all literature fascinated him, and he was capable of sucking information out of reading materials at a frightening pace. Through this, he had gained an extensive knowledge of magic and monsters in a short time, which had proved quite an asset on numerous occasions.

Cracking his knuckles and smirking grimly, Dashi growled, "Well, whatever it is, it's no match for us." He brandished the Lotus Twister threateningly.

Wuya snorted, shifting into a fighting stance beside him. "You look really impressive, wielding a flower."

However, Guan took several steps backwards, shaking his head vehemently and exclaiming, "Are you all out of your minds? We can't fight this thing! This is just the kind of situation-" the four cringed at another ear-splitting shriek from the creature. He continued, "-that Master Chang told us to avoid! We were supposed to kill the cyclops and that was it!"

"Quit worrying!" Wuya snapped. With a grin, she added, "I'm all for an actual challenge."

Offering his friend a reassuring smile, Chase agreed, "We can take it."

Dashi made the first move. Crying out, "Lotus Twister!" he stretched his arms to each grasp a sturdy tree on opposite sides of the wide lake, stepping back and bracing his feet. When he let them go, he flew forward like a human slingshot in what would have been a devastatingly powerful kick, had it hit. However, the head he had been aiming for swung out of the way, and he went hurtling past, landing in a disoriented heap on the far shore of the lake.

With an exasperated sigh, Wuya slipped a pair of ornate, winged sandals onto her narrow feet and exclaimed, "Fancy Feet!" She hated to have to use Shen Gong Wu at all, but sometimes they proved a necessity. In a split second, she was just inches from the leftmost fang-filled mouth, and she slammed her fist into the creature's jawbone with all her might. The powerfully muscled neck, however, was extremely resilient. Though several razor-sharp teeth were knocked from the hydra's mouth, the spine refused to snap, and the unexpected resistance sent the Earth Apprentice plummeting downwards into the water. "It's too strong!" she gasped.

"No kidding!" Dashi exclaimed as he returned to the other monks, looking nervous. "I think we may be a bit out of our league with this one."

"Maybe you'll_ listen_ to me next time," Guan grumbled.

Wuya retorted, "This is an awful time for 'I told you so's, you know."

As the three overwhelmed young warriors cautiously stepped back out of the monster's striking range, only Chase remained immobile. Glaring resolutely forward, he assumed a fighting stance.

Wide-eyed, the Fire Apprentice yelled, "Chase! What are you _doing_?" He was terrified that his prideful friend was about to do something extremely stupid.

Chase's normally gentle features were twisted as he snarled, "I will _not_ be defeated by a creature of my own element!" In spite of his friends' shouted protests, he reached inside his red tunic and pulled out a shining, coin-shaped Shen Gong Wu. After flipping it into the air, he caught it determinedly and called, "Mantis Flip Coin!" With an elaborate, spinning leap, he soared over all of the monster's fearsome heads, catching hold of the finned crest on the back of one of the necks. Hooking his legs around the scaly neck for support, he reached his hands around to the front of the throat and conjured a shimmering blade of ice between them. Struggling to hold on as the creature thrashed and shrieked, he wrenched the blade backwards. The head was sliced clean off in a spray of hot, ink-black blood, and Chase laughed triumphantly.

"I can't believe it! He did it!" Dashi said in astonishment. Emboldened by their friend's success, he, Guan, and Wuya rushed back into the fray.

At that moment, however, the flesh of the hydra's severed neck began to writhe and contort, and a new head suddenly burst forth from where the old had been lost. All nine mouths opened and screeched deafeningly, and the three warriors stopped dead in their tracks as the new head twisted around and one of the tentacles whipped up, grabbing the terrified Water Apprentice around the waist. Chase screamed as the creature flung him away and he went flying, impacting with a tree trunk with a sickening crack. He dropped limply to the ground and did not get up.

"Chase!" Crying out in unison, the remaining monks ran to the side of their unconscious friend. Kneeling down beside the smaller boy, Guan rolled him gently onto his back, running a hand through his dark hair. The Water Apprentice moaned softly, and when Guan pulled back his hand, it was covered with blood. Horrified tears welled up in Wuya's eyes and Guan's fists were clenched tightly enough to break the skin. Before they could even consider their options, however, the Apprentice of Wind was ripped away from the others and lifted into the air by another of the hydra's many powerful tentacles. As he struggled violently to escape the appendage that held him, the nearest head lashed out, clamping the young monk's shoulder in its crushing jaws. A wave of pain hit him as the razor-sharp teeth ripped through muscle and skin, and he let out a strangled yell. At the sound, Wuya ran forward, concentrating her mind and energy as best she could and raising her hands above her head. When she slammed her palms into the ground, a spire of rock shot up from the earth underneath the lake, slicing through the tentacle that held Dashi. He landed with a splash in the water along with the severed tentacle. Hoisting the limp form of Chase Young up over his shoulder, Guan yelled to the other two, "Come on! We have to get out of here!"

As they ran, one final tentacle whipped out from back at the lake, entwining itself around Guan's ankle and attempting to drag him back. The Fire Apprentice managed to wrench his leg out of the creature's vice-like grip, but not before the powerful appendage twisted upwards and he felt the bones of his foot shatter. Gasping sharply in pain, he stumbled and fell forward, clenching his fingers in the dirt in bitter anger. With a slicing blast of wind, Dashi gouged a deep gash in the soft and fleshy underside of the tentacle, and it retracted, the valley echoing with the creature's pained shrieks. They knew they were finally, at least for the moment, safe. The young monks collapsed all at once, too overwhelmed by exhaustion and pain to even speak, and the images of the trees and grey sky above spun and blurred before fading to blackness.

* * *

_End Chapter 3_

* * *

Oh dearie me- what will happen to our heroes now? Heh, it's so obvious that Chase is my favorite- I'm so mean to him. XD

Feedback is much appreciated!


	5. Chapter 4

I'm really, really sorry this took so long- I'll try to bring up the next one faster. This isn't an action-chapter like the last one, but it's important nonetheless. A warning for very mild slash in this chapter.

Enjoy! I hope it's worth the wait!

* * *

_The Beginning of the End_

_Chapter 4_

* * *

Quiet, ambiguous whispers began to pervade the seemingly endless darkness, blending together in an echoing hiss. It vaguely registered to the listener that he was regaining consciousness. His limbs and eyelids felt unbearably heavy, and he felt that he hadn't the strength to move them. "...Where am I?"

"Take a wild guess, why don't you?" The voice that answered was dry and slightly hoarse, and sounded female.

Struggling against his lingering fatigue, Guan forced his eyes open. Immediately, he squinted as the light hit his eyes, but after taking a moment to adjust, he pulled himself into a sitting position and looked around. The wooden walls and gently sloping ceiling came into focus, and he whispered, "Back at the temple..." Four sleeping-mats were set in a line against the wall of the grand hall, though the middle two were empty. On the mat farthest from the Fire Apprentice, however, sat the girl who had spoken. Her long, reddish hair was pulled back in a loose and half-falling-out attempt at a braid, and she looked unharmed but tired.

Guan smiled and murmured, "...Hello, Wuya." As he began to fully awaken, the emotions of the events before he had been knocked out flooded back all at once. The terror of facing the hydra, the anger and sadness at watching his friends get hurt, the shame of defeat...and then the confusion set in. In a slightly stronger voice, he asked, "When...and how did we get back here?"

Frowning thoughtfully, she replied slowly, "Master Chang said something about the people from a village near that valley bringing us back, but I don't remember it."

Guan shook his head and said doubtfully, "That can't be right... How could we have all slept through something like that? That must have been at least a two-day walk." When the Earth Apprentice only shrugged a shoulder, he continued to the next pressing subject on his mind. "Where are Dashi and Chase?"

Worry flashed across Wuya's face for a moment before she composed herself and stated matter-of-factly, "I have absolutely no idea where Dashi is, but I saw Chase about an hour ago, in the other room." The worried expression returned full-force, and her stern voice wavered and grew quiet. "Dojo's watching him now. ...He's not doing too well."

"...He isn't?" The Fire Apprentice asked nervously. When he thought about it, his younger friend could hardly be expected to be skipping around the temple after such a serious injury, but still, Wuya's words had not been what he'd wanted to hear. He stared down at the floor, biting his lower lip and musing dejectedly, _'I can't believe we let this happen...'_ Grasping the windowsill above him, he attempted to pull himself to his feet and sighed, "I'm going to go see him."

"I wouldn't..." Wuya began, trailing off with a shake of her head when Guan gasped loudly in pain and stumbled, falling back onto the mat with a profound thump. Looking down at his injured leg, he groaned when he saw that it was bandaged and in a tight splint. The red-haired girl finished lamely, "...try to walk. Your foot is still broken, you know."

"I've noticed," The Fire Apprentice muttered dryly. This time with only his good leg, he once again hoisted himself to his feet and, though extremely wobbly, managed to stand. Using the wall for support, he half-hopped, half-limped across the wooden floor to the far door of the hall.

Wuya watched as he hobbled out of the room before lying back down with a small sigh. She might have laughed, had she been just a bit less exhausted.

* * *

"Chase?" The door slowly creaked open, and Guan slipped inside, leaning heavily on the door frame. The Water Apprentice lay completely still on a mat in the corner of the room, his hair spread in a dark mass on the pillow behind his head. Next to where his hand rested, Dojo lay curled in a tiny green ball, watching with a doleful expression. When he noticed the Fire Apprentice, the young dragon slithered across the smooth wooden floor to where he stood. With some difficulty, Guan reached down and picked up the tiny creature, asking quietly, "How is he?"

Curling his thin, snakelike body around the young monk's shoulders, Dojo replied blandly, "Well, he's awake, which is good, but that's about it." He shook his head sadly, red beard wagging. "He has yet to actually say anything. I guess I'll leave him to you, then. I want to see what's going on elsewhere." Unwrapping himself from his perch, the little dragon crawled over to the still-open door, pausing to look back and add, "Oh, and make sure to keep him awake, will you? Master Chang mentioned that he's seen people with head injuries fall asleep and never wake up."

Guan was more than a bit alarmed. "What do you mean, never...?" He trailed off when he realized that he was talking to no one. Turning back to the corner where his friend lay, the Fire-elemental limped over to him, still clutching at the wall for support. Using only his good leg, he carefully lowered himself to the floor and returned his gaze to the other boy. Chase's eyes were indeed open, but they were half-lidded and unfocused, and his breathing was shallow, though even. His arms lay neatly at his sides, as if someone had arranged them there and he hadn't yet had the strength to move them to a more natural position. It disturbed and saddened the older boy to see the normally vibrant child lying so still and lifeless. When he thought about it, though, there was an eerie sort of beauty in the way Chase's flushed face glowed against the dark halo of his hair, and in the curl of his dark eyelashes and the gentle curve of his lips. It was unsettling how ethereal he looked in this half-dead state, and Guan decided quickly that he did not like it. He wanted the regular Chase back.

Frowning deeply, the Fire Apprentice reached out a hand to gently feel the other boy's forehead. He sighed, whispering, "Chase?" As he hadn't expected a response, he was startled when Chase coughed weakly and spoke.

"...Is that you, Guan?" His voice was a barely audible whisper, but he gave a tiny, exhausted smile as he spoke. "Where am I?"

Smiling in incredulous relief, the Fire Apprentice stroked his friend's tangled hair and murmured, "Yes, it's me." He paused for a moment, noticing the cold clamminess of Chase's skin before continuing, "We're back at the temple. ...How are you feeling?"

Grimacing slightly and giving a weak chuckle, the long-haired boy muttered, "Not very good. My head hurts terribly." His eyes remained glazed-over and staring at the low ceiling as he spoke. "What happened?"

"What do you mean, what happened?"

"Everything is foggy." He exhaled slowly, then asked a bit warily, "Did we win?"

At the innocent and rather stupid question, something in Guan's already stressed mind snapped, and he shouted, "Did we _win_? You little _fool_, what kind of a question is that at a time like this?" Chase winced as his head throbbed painfully at the volume of his friend's frustrated yelling. Undeterred, the older boy continued, gesturing erratically, "What were you thinking, rushing in like that? You could have been _killed_!" Wide-eyed and breathing hard, he stared down at the injured Water Apprentice for a moment, then seemed to deflate, shaking his head slowly. Absently picking at stray straws in the mat covering the floor, he sighed and whispered, "I'm sorry..."

"No."

"...No what?"

The only response was, "You have nothing to apologize for." Chase gave another weak cough, then murmured, "I am...still very tired. May I sleep?" Even as he spoke, he felt the haze that pervaded his mind grow thicker, almost enough to block the dull, throbbing pain, and he allowed his heavy eyelids to slide shut.

As he watched his friend's body grow still again, an alarm went off in Guan's mind, and all at once he remembered Dojo's warning. Eyes widening as he started to panic, he began, "Don't-" but the younger boy was already completely unresponsive. He wracked his brain for a way to wake Chase up without hurting him further, but when he came up with nothing logical, acted completely on impulse instead. Leaning down over the prone Water-elemental, he pressed their lips together in a slightly desperate kiss. He held it only for a moment, just long enough to feel Chase move a bit, before turning bright red in embarrassment and pulling back quickly. To the Fire Apprentice's immense relief, Chase's eyes were once again open, and his lips were curled into a tiny smile. After a slightly awkward pause, the Water Apprentice asked hesitantly, "So...was that for real, or did you just do it to wake me up?"

Guan thought for a moment before muttering, "Both."

Blushing slightly as well, Chase replied, "Good." He blinked, then his smile widened and he shook his head, beginning to chuckle.

Raising an eyebrow, the older boy inquired, "And what exactly is so funny?"

Through his now-incessant giggling, Chase managed to get out, "We really must look like quite the pair, you and I." At his friend's blank expression, he clarified, "'The old man and the little girl'- as Dashi once called us, remember?"

"Which he never said again, after you threw him off the roof with his own Shen Gong Wu for it." Guan grinned as Chase's giggling erupted into full-blown laughter at the memory, before the grin became a smirk and he added, "As it is, I'd rather be the 'old man' in that pair any day. At least my voice has changed, unlike a certain someone."

"Well, at least I'm not bald!"

"...Why do I get the feeling that there's no way for me to win this?"

Chase shook his head again, still smiling. "Oh, it doesn't really matter."

Returning the smile, the Fire Apprentice leaned over and gave the smaller teen a gentle kiss on the forehead. "I suppose it doesn't."

* * *

"Well, would you look at that? The gang's all here." Dashi waved half-heartedly as he walked a bit clumsily into the room where the other three Dragon Apprentices already sat. Another night had passed, and they had been woken up woefully early by a rather irritated Dojo, who had informed them that their Master needed to have a talk with them.

"Dashi!" Wuya gasped, grinning just a bit. She quickly brought a hand up to cover her smile and asked as sternly as she could manage so early in the morning, "And where have you been?"

"Just- ow!" The Wind Apprentice clapped a hand to his shirtless and heavily bandaged shoulder, hissing sharply in pain and grimacing. "Just...getting patched up, that's all." Upon reaching the wall, he collapsed against it and slid unceremoniously to the floor. He smirked and turned to Wuya, who sat next to him. "You can put your hand down- I _know_ you're happy to see me."

"I- oh, just hush up," the Earth Apprentice snapped. She blushed and stared pointedly at the wall.

Frowning, Dashi wondered aloud, "Why did Master Chang want to talk to us in here, of all places?"

From the corner, Chase pointed out, "I don't think I'm up to moving yet, so that may be why."

Concerned, the Wind Apprentice turned to Chase, who was sitting up, leaning half against the wall and half against Guan, who sat next to him with an arm wrapped loosely around the Water Apprentice's back. "How's your head? ...You do look a little bit out of it."

Chuckling quietly, Chase answered, "I've felt better, but I'll live. We lost that battle rather miserably, though."

"No kidding," Dashi grumbled, glaring at the ceiling. "There is absolutely no way I'm going to let this go. We _will_ defeat it next time."

Guan made a shocked noise in the back of his throat, then said exasperatedly, "I honestly hope that you're joking." When he noticed the determined looks on all three of his friends' faces, he smacked his forehead, mumbling, "...Idiocy..."

"First, we need to figure out how to stop the heads from growing back" Wuya aimed an envious glare at Guan, who pretended not to notice, before asking rather loudly, "Isn't that right, Chase?" When the Water Apprentice failed to respond, she examined his face more closely and realized that he was staring thoughtfully at Dashi, who was once again clutching tightly at his injured shoulder.

"Dashi...come over here."

Confused, the Wind Apprentice shuffled on his knees over to Chase's corner, plopping back down on the floor next to the dark-haired boy. "What is it?"

Brows furrowed, the Water Apprentice gestured to his friend's bandages. "How did they fix your shoulder?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer me, please."

Sighing, Dashi fiddled with the complicated knots in his bandages, and the others gasped as the strips of clean, white fabric fell away. Angry red burn marks crisscrossed over his entire shoulder, barely hiding the puncture wounds from the monster's teeth. Dashi pulled a face as he spoke. "It's hardly fixed. There was something in that thing's spit that made the wounds keep bleeding long after they should have stopped. They had to use hot metal to get them to close, but they just hurt more now. Hey- ow! What are you doing?" he exclaimed as Chase reached out a hand, tracing slender fingers over the seared skin. At the bald boy's pained exclamation, the Water Apprentice pulled his fingers back, looking mortified.

"Oh...I'm so sorry! But I thought...maybe..." He trailed off, musing quietly, "Heat..."

Wuya opened her mouth to ask him to elaborate, but before she could get any words out, the door to the room flew open with astonishing force. Master Chang stood in the doorway, fury etched in every line of his aged face. The Dragon Apprentices shrank against the wall in the elderly man's intimidating presence. Under his breath, Dashi managed to mutter the obvious.

"Uh oh...he does _not_ look happy."

* * *

_End Chapter 4_

* * *

Oh dear...Chase has a plan, Wuya has jealousy issues, and all four of them have a serious talking-to coming to them. What's Chase planning? You'll find out next time, along with lots of other things.

Feedback is much, much appreciated, as always. Reviews inspire me!


	6. Chapter 5

Another long-overdue chapter! I'm incredibly proud of this one, so I hope you enjoy!

[05/06/12- The second half of this chapter has undergone some noticeable editing, due to massive historical inaccuracies and stuff that just generally didn't make sense, as well as a couple weird OoC moments. XD Still the same basic thing though, just fixed.]

* * *

_The Beginning of the End _

_Chapter 5 _

* * *

"Uh-oh...he does _not_ look happy."

Master Chang made no indication that he had heard the Wind Apprentice's muttered statement as he wrenched the flimsy door shut with unnecessary force, causing it to rattle precariously. When he spoke, his voice was a low, dangerous hiss, and the single word he spoke was enough to intimidate his young Apprentices into shrinking even farther against the wall. "Explain."

"E-explain what, Master?" stammered Wuya, playing dumb with a nervous half-grin.

"You deliberately disobeyed me!" the elderly man snapped, towering over the young Apprentices. "My instructions were simple and clear- to _only_ complete the specific missions you were assigned! Why do you think I asked this of you?" He folded his arms in front of his chest, voice rising in pitch and volume. "I am not given to making rules for the sake of making rules, young monks. There are _reasons_ for what I tell you to do! Do you see that now?"

"Please, Master, we...er...we had a reason!" Dashi began, desperately spinning a fib on the spot. "The hydra had been...er...terrorizing the village, so the villagers asked us to-" The Wind Apprentice was cut off in mid-sentence by a particularly unpleasant glare from the elderly man.

"_Do_ not_ lie_ to me, Apprentice of Wind!" he hissed as the golden-skinned boy opened and closed his mouth like a fish, trying and failing to form words. "And make no excuses, either! I know the four of you well enough to know exactly why you acted so foolishly." Exhaling deeply, the white-haired master crossed the room to rest against one of the open windows. Guan narrowed his slanted eyes and frowned as he noticed that the old monk was heavily favoring one of his legs as he walked. He had never seen the temple master do any such thing before, and the unexpected sign of weakness gave him an uneasy feeling. A quick glance at the faces of his friends told him that they had noticed it as well. Before any of them could voice their concerned questions, however, Master Chang turned back to them and continued quietly, "Pride was your downfall, young ones. Although you knew that your foe was beyond your ability to defeat, your pride in your own skills demanded a challenge. It convinced you that running away was shameful." He smiled discreetly when the young Apprentices' ashamed expressions affirmed the truth in his words. "Young monks, it is not wrong to be proud of your strength, but you must not allow it to influence your judgment. Overconfidence leads to unnecessary failure, which leads to a feeling of weakness, which leads to hatred towards oneself and others. Take a lesson from your failure here. I am not going to punish you for your disobedience-" At this, all four young faces lit up, and a chorus of relieved muttering broke out among them. Master Chang raised his hand for silence, and when the chattering immediately died back down, he continued, "-because I believe that the injuries you have sustained are punishment enough. However, I ask you to meditate on what I have told you." Turning away from the window, he gave the four children one last, long look and limped out of the room.

Dashi stared intently at the doorway that the elderly master had not bothered to close behind him. "What do you think's wrong with his leg?"

From where he sat with his head still resting on Guan's shoulder, Chase said with a worried look, "I don't know."

"He _is_ getting old," the Fire-elemental offered reasonably.

"I know that, but still..." Chase sighed, chewing his lower lip a bit out of habit. Groaning softly, he leaned more heavily against the Fire Apprentice's shoulder as a wave of mild nausea and a dull pain in his head washed over him.

As he felt the shift in weight, Guan looked down at the smaller boy, lightly petting the Water-elemental's soft, dark hair, and muttered, "Are you alright?"

Forcing a smile to replace his grimace, Chase replied quietly, "I'll be fine, don't worry."

From her place against the opposite wall, Wuya scrutinized the two boys, fuming silently while at the same time straining to hear what they were saying. Their closeness irritated her- it always had- but this was even beyond the usual. A tiny voice in the back of her mind nagged her annoyingly, asking insistently 'what has he got that you don't?', but she ignored it. It was her wounded pride controlling her emotions, just as Master Chang had said, and she was beginning to realize it. She absently wondered if his speech hadn't been directed at her just a bit more than the others.

"You know," Dashi interjected thoughtfully, breaking into the others' private thoughts and conversations, "I just realized something. Master Chang said a lot of things during that speech, but he never actually told us not to go back. I mean, he said he knew how we think, and he was right, which means he's got to have known we were planning to go after the damn thing again."

The other three looked puzzled for a moment as their minds worked over what both he and the Master had said.

Nodding slowly, Wuya said, "You know, he _has_ got a point. Don't you think so, Chase?"

"...Wha?" The long-haired boy jumped slightly as he was disturbed from his musing, then added, "Oh, yes." Frowning, he shifted his body to directly face the Earth Apprentice and asked, "Wuya, could you do something for me?"

"I suppose. What do you need?" she replied, already fairly sure she knew what he wanted.

"Thank you!" he said with an appreciative smile. "I need a few scrolls from the temple library."

Wuya hid a smirk- of course, she'd been right. "Which ones?"

"Hmm..." the Water-elemental mused thoughtfully for a moment, running a count on his fingers. "Let's see...I'll need anything that we have on aquatic monsters...and anything that goes into depth on Fire-elemental magic."

Although Wuya found herself mentally questioning why Chase could possibly need information on Fire magic, she rose to her feet, dusting herself off and assuring him, "I'll be back soon."

"I'm going too!" Dashi exclaimed enthusiastically and predictably. He stuck his tongue out at his two male friends as they burst out laughing.

The Earth Apprentice was giggling too as she turned to him, shaking her head. "Sometimes I could swear you were a puppy in a past life." But she wasn't angry, only amused, as she gave in and said, "Oh, come on, then."

Still laughing, the two middle children departed, closing the door behind them and leaving the oldest and youngest alone. Tilting his head down to look at the boy resting against him, Guan noticed a peculiar expression on Chase's face. With a knowing smirk, he asked, "Did you really need those scrolls?"

"Hm?" The Water Apprentice feigned innocence perfectly. "I'm sure they'll be useful for something or other..." At the older boy's raised eyebrow, he gave in with a smile. "Not really, no." His gentle face became serious again as he managed to lift himself off of Guan's shoulder. "I needed to talk to you about something." He slid a hand under his thin pillow and produced a dirt-stained, tattered paper that had probably once been a rolled scroll, but had been folded up and flattened for safe-keeping. "And this is the only scroll I need."

Guan blinked. "Isn't that the same one you had when you first came here? I haven't seen that thing in years." At Chase's affirmative nod, he took the old paper from his companion, unfolded it, and brought it close to his face. The letters were so faded they were barely visible, and when he squinted at it, he found that it was written in completely unfamiliar symbols that he did not even vaguely recognize. He handed it back to Chase, wide-eyed. "What _is_ this? Where did you get it?"

Chase nodded again, leaning back against the wall and flipping through the flimsy pages. "It's a collection of legends, from a great empire in the West. I've had this since I was very young." His eyes stared unblinkingly at the opposite wall as he spoke in a quiet, nostalgic tone. "I lived on the streets of my village as a child. There was really nowhere else for an orphan to go. I ate what I could manage to find and slept wherever I could sit down and doze off. Some days, though, I stayed with a man who lived in the village, a scholar. He wasn't Chinese, and I didn't know where he came from or even his name- he never told me. But his collection of writings was unbelievable. Whenever I visited him, he would give me something hot to eat and he would read to me- he was studying our language, and he said it was good practice." The dark-haired boy smiled at the memory. "He was so kind to me, and he told me all sorts of stories from the places he had visited as well as the ones he read. I loved him for it. His stories fascinated me enough to get my mind off of the things that troubled me outside. That man was the closest thing I ever had to a parent- since I didn't know his name, I called him Father, and he once told me he loved me like a son and wished he could have taken me in for good."

"Wow..." Guan whispered without really realizing it, feeling incredibly sorry for his younger companion, in addition to feeling exceedingly fortunate and a bit guilty. His family were farmers and had never been wealthy, but he had at least always known he would have something to eat and a roof over his head- he could not imagine living in the uncertainty that Chase had. It also amazed him that Chase had actually known such a person- travelers from the West were practically unheard of, aside from the occasional trader. He could hear the Water Apprentice's tone growing more subdued, and he was almost afraid to hear the rest of the tale.

Chase's gaze shifted to the floor as he continued, "When I was nine, he told me that he had to go away, though he wouldn't say where or for how long. He promised, though, that he would teach me to read when he returned, in my language and his." Golden eyes sliding shut, the Water-elemental curled protectively around the dirty paper. "He never returned. I don't even know if he's still alive." He inhaled deeply, rubbing tears out of his eyes. "This scroll was my favorite one for him to read to me, and he gave it to me before he left. Once he was gone, I went back to the streets until Master Chang found me and brought me here, but I always kept it with me and hoped he would come back for me."

"I..." Guan trailed off, not really knowing what to say. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have even asked..." He tentatively touched Chase's arm, before abandoning any shyness and pulling his quietly sobbing companion into a tight embrace.

"It's alright," the Water Apprentice smiled, hugging back with one arm and wiping away the last of the tears with the other. "It actually feels good to tell someone about that, I never have before. And besides, now I can look back on it and be thankful, because if my life hadn't gone the way it did, I might never have ended up here." He lingered in the older boy's embrace for a moment more before pulling away and indicating a section of the paper. "But look, I need to show you this."

Although the page was mostly the same illegible writing, there was a small ink drawing in the top corner. Eyes widening, Guan stared intently at it. It depicted a powerful-looking young man with long hair and a rugged beard, clad only in an animal skin and wielding a flaming brand. He appeared to be launching an attack on a huge, vicious-looking creature...

A serpentine creature with a multitude of heads.

"It's a hydra!" The Fire Apprentice gasped.

"Exactly," Chase grinned. "This story tells of a hero called Hercules." He stumbled a bit over the strange name, but continued, "He was an adventurer who was forced to complete twelve labors, as a punishment for an evil deed he committed. One of his twelve labors was to slay a hydra, just like the one we fought. The battle began the same as ours- every time he cut off one of the heads, another grew back, and Hercules had no choice but to flee. His young nephew gave him the idea to seal the flesh of the severed necks with heat to prevent them from growing back. He tried this tactic when he confronted the hydra again- whenever he cut off one of the heads, he used a burning brand to seal the flesh, and he was eventually able to kill it!"

Instead of looking happy at his companion's revelation, Guan shrank back slightly, looking profoundly ill at ease. "What is it that you're implying?"

A bit exasperated, Chase exclaimed, "Don't you see? What if we could defeat the monster the same way? Instead of a burning brand, we have your Fire-elemental abilities!"

"Chase, you know my elemental abilities are next to nothing!" Guan snapped, frustrated not only at the other boy's confidence in him but also his own lack of confidence in himself. "If I can't even light a candle, then how am I supposed to do something like this?"

Dropping his gaze, the smaller boy reached out, taking one of his companion's hands in both of his own. "I know you can do it, you've done it before..." he reminded quietly, deliberately brushing the burn scar on the side of his hand against the Fire Apprentice's fingers. When he received no reply, he insisted, "Master Chang chose you to be the Dragon of Fire for a reason- he sees potential in you and so do I, you have to see it in yourself!"

"You both see what you want to see, then, instead of what's actually there." Guan muttered bitterly.

Chase frowned. "What I see right now is someone I care about wallowing in self-pity, instead of rising up and overcoming his problems like I know he can."

Embarrassed, the older boy buried his face in one broad-palmed hand, shifting the other to easily enclose both of his companion's slender ones. "I'm sorry, I just..." He paused, before quietly admitting, "I wish I could see this potential you say that you see in me, but sometimes I just can't."

"Hush." The Water-elemental moved closer to his friend to whisper in his ear, "You've put yourself down enough today." Pulling back slightly, he gave the older boy a pleading look. "Please, promise me you'll at least try."

"...Alright. I promise."

* * *

"Master? Are you here?"

Master Chang looked up from where he sat, sipping a steaming cup of tea and absently petting Dojo on the head, and focused his attention on the doorway. Sure enough, Dashi's bald head appeared a moment later, wearing its trademark grin. The old monk smiled, setting down his cup with a quiet 'clink' and gesturing for the Wind-elemental to enter. "Do you need something, young one?"

Plopping unceremoniously onto the floor in front of the only slightly surprised temple master, Dashi shook his head and said, "Not really. Wuya's getting some scrolls for Chase, and I think I was getting on her nerves a bit, because she told me to leave. So I thought I'd come see you, if that's okay." Frowning slightly as he remembered his earlier concerns, he inquired, "Is there something wrong with your leg, Master? You were limping earlier."

"No, young monk." Master Chang chuckled dryly, taking another long sip of tea before elaborating lightly, "It would seem that my age is finally catching up to me. That is all."

Not quite convinced, the Wind Apprentice leaned forward, giving the elderly master a scrutinizing look-over. "Are you sure, Master? You look exhausted."

Shaking his head, the old monk gave an exasperated laugh and assured his young student, "It's nothing, young one. One day, when you're old, you will know what I'm talking about." Offering a final, tired smile, he made a dismissive hand gesture. "Run along now, young one. I shall see you and the others later today."

"Alright, Master. I'll go see if Wuya's feeling a bit less inclined to throw things at me now." He hopped to his feet and was gone in the blink of an eye.

Shaking his red-crested head and purring softly, Dojo muttered, "That is some kid, let me tell you." He wrapped his tail around Master Chang's wrist and gazed out the door where Dashi had left. "You humans sure grow up fast, don't you?"

Master Chang only chuckled. "Yes, I suppose we do."

* * *

_Chapter 5 End_

* * *

If anyone's wondering why Dashi and Wuya seem to be taking a backseat role in this story, I can explain. Actually, this story is loosely divided into four story-arcs, and we're still in the first one. The second will focus much more on them, particularly Dashi. So if you were hoping for more on those two, don't worry- there will be.

**Next Chapter:** It's training time again as our heroes prepare for their rematch with the hydra, and Guan is seriously doubting his ability to uphold his promise to Chase.

Reviews are very, _very_ much appreciated.


	7. Chapter 6

I don't think I'll bother apologizing for the late update, since all my updates seem to be late. I'll really try to bring out the next chapter quicker, though.

In the meantime, we have chapter 6. Just in case you lost track of the years, they're all somewhere between 14 and 16 years old now.

Enjoy!

* * *

_The Beginning of the End_

_Chapter 6_

* * *

"Wuya! Once more!"

"But...oh, not again." Muttering under her breath, the Apprentice of Earth raised her hands and planted her feet firmly in the middle of the temple courtyard for the fourth time that morning. The exercise, just as they had done countless times before, was to integrate their Xiaolin elements into their physical fighting styles and the way they moved. Wuya sighed; she _knew_ the characteristics of each element- that was easy. Water was smooth and flowing, Wind was agile and changeable, Fire was quick and aggressive, and Earth was solid and strong. It was perfecting the movement itself that was tricky.

When Master Chang clapped his hands together impatiently, the Earth Apprentice realized that she had been standing still for some time, and she immediately made the first movement of the Tai Chi form. Incorporating the Earth element meant tension- the power to move boulders, only with nothing solid into which to channel that power. Absolute focus- feeling only her arms trembling from exertion and the connection of her bare feet with the earth below her.

But as she let out a deep, slow breath, she made the mistake of allowing her eyes to slide shut. And before she could help herself, she was back- her ears rang with the piercing shrieking and she was weighted down and chilled by soaked clothing. Chase was sprawled out on the ground, unconscious and bleeding at the head. Dashi was screaming again, and the helpless feeling came back- being frustrated and overwhelmed and afraid all at once. Though she was peripherally aware that she was still moving, it took several long moments for Master Chang's sharp voice to break into her wandering mind.

"Wuya! What are you doing?" When the Earth Apprentice saw the old Master's scrutinizing frown, she found that her feet were nowhere near where they were supposed to be, and that her hand position was also wrong. An embarrassed blush spread across her bronze cheeks as she realized that she had skipped nearly half of the form, and she muttered, "I apologize, Master. I just can't concentrate..." Without waiting for a response, she offered the old monk a rushed little bow and walked dejectedly over to sit with the other Apprentices.

Shaking his head, Master Chang turned to his discouraged students and said, "Young ones, it is time to leave your failure behind you. Not every battle can be won, but dwelling on your loss will only hold you back. Focus your attention on the present and future." Frowning, he asked as an afterthought, "Young ones, where is our Apprentice of Fire? I asked you all to be here to train this morning."

Dashi turned to Wuya and Chase, looking confused. "Come to think of it, where _is_ Guan? I've barely seen him at all in the last few days."

Shrugging a shoulder, the red-haired girl answered, "I don't know, I haven't seen him either." Her tone made it obvious that she wasn't particularly concerned, though, and Chase said nothing at all.

"Chase!" Master Chang called, gesturing to the youngest boy. Offering his friends a wan little smile, the Water-elemental got to his feet and made his way a bit shakily to the center of the courtyard.

Dashi frowned as he watched the dark-haired boy begin the complicated movements of the form, connecting each stance and technique into a fluid, seamless sequence as he always did. "Do you think he's up to this?" The Wind Apprentice asked uneasily, under his breath so that Chase would not hear. "Master Chang only gave him permission to get out of bed this morning."

Wuya also watched the Water-elemental intently, worrying over the way his teeth were gritted in pained exertion. "I hope so..."

Letting out a shaky breath, Chase brought his hands up over his head and shifted his feet into another stance, allowing his body to flow smoothly from one movement to another. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized that he was going much slower than he usually did, but even so, he didn't remember it being so hard. As one foot crossed in front of the other, he lost his footing and stumbled, letting his slender hands drop and breaking the seamless string of techniques.

"Why'd he stop?" Wuya asked worriedly.

Dashi frowned. "I don't know, he never just quits in the middle like that."

Frustrated and dizzy, the Water Apprentice brought his hands back up and attempted to start over. Several movements in, however, his fingers began to tremble and his head started aching. As he shifted into the next stance, his gaze passed over his friends, and he vaguely recalled that Guan wasn't there before his knees finally gave out and he collapsed.

Before Chase could hit the ground, Master Chang was there, easily catching the weakened Water-elemental in his wrinkled but strong hands and gently lowering him to the ground. When the other two Apprentices ran forward, he held out a hand, gesturing for them to stay back. Shaking his head, he chastised quietly, "Too much too soon, young one."

"No...I'm fine..." Pulling himself up into a sitting position, Chase clenched his hands into fists and stared resolutely at a patch of dry autumn grass near his feet. "This is so frustrating..." he muttered bitterly, trying to avoid looking at his friends' sympathetic, concerned expressions.

"Young monk, stay here for a moment to recover," the old temple master instructed, getting to his feet and turning away from his students. "I shall return momentarily." At this assurance, he limped across the courtyard and disappeared into the temple.

As soon as the door had closed, Wuya ran to the slightly disoriented Water Apprentice, hugging him tightly around the waist and asking, "Are you okay? What happened?"

Without bothering to try to pull out of Wuya's hold, Chase shook his head, muttering, "I don't really know... I just started feeling sick, and my legs got weak, and I ended up down here." Looking guilty, he added, "I'm sorry for worrying everyone..."

"Chase, only you could possibly try to apologize for getting hurt." Forcing a grin through his concern, Dashi made a dramatic gesture and pointed out, "Well, if nothing else, I think this goes under the category of 'worst training session ever'."

Chase chuckled, returning the smile weakly and agreeing, "Most definitely, although the time you accidentally blew most of the roof off the meditation hall comes awfully close." Giggling a bit at the Wind Apprentice's offended pout, he attempted to shift into a more comfortable position. Upon realizing that Wuya's surprisingly strong arms were still entwined around his waist, however, he decided it would be rude to push her off and remained still.

Raising an eyebrow, Dashi cut in a bit shortly, "You know, I think Chase might like to breathe now."

Blushing slightly in embarrassment, Wuya loosened her hold a tiny bit, but not enough to do much good.

Not missing the 'help me' look Chase was giving him, the Wind Apprentice knelt down, tugging gently at the pigtailed girl's shoulder. "Come on, Wuya, let him go."

"Sorry," she mumbled miserably, pulling away completely and reaching a bronze hand up to grasp the gold-toned one on her shoulder. Keeping her eyes on the ground, she laughed humorlessly. "You'd think I'd have learned my lesson by now." A pause, and then, "I hate this. Everything's just such a mess..."

"No, it isn't!" Dashi said firmly, causing the other two to look up at him in surprise. "Come on, Wuya, you're stronger than this! So we got beat. We'll win next time!" Suddenly, his round face split into its trademark grin and he sprang to his feet. "I've got an idea. I need to..." The grin morphed into a thoughtful frown. "Where _is_ Guan, anyways? I want to talk to him."

Like earlier, the Earth Apprentice offered only a half-hearted shrug. Chase, however, chewed his lower lip a bit, laughing nervously and admitting, "I...I know where he is."

* * *

Every lamp in the meditation hall had been extinguished, and the figure that knelt in the back corner was only visible by the dim evening moonlight that shone in through the open windows. The door slowly creaked open, and bare, golden-skinned feet padded softly across the cold wooden floor. Upon approaching the figure, Dashi halted at a respectful distance before saying, "So, this is where you've been."

Without turning around, the crouching Fire Apprentice sighed and mumbled, "Go away, Dashi."

Frowning a bit, the Wind Apprentice pointed out, "In the last two days, you've skipped four meals, not to mention practically everything else we've done as a group. You never skip. Did you really expect someone _not _to come looking for you?" Smirking knowingly, he casually threw out, "Chase collapsed today during morning training."

At this, Guan spun around, concern mingled with the exhaustion on his face. "Is he alright?" Shaking his head, he turned around completely and let the small candle in his hand drop to the floor. "Master Chang mentioned that he was going to try to start training today, and I wanted to go, but..." He trailed off into a guilty silence, absently flicking the wood of the splint around his ankle.

Flopping back onto the floor across from his friend, Dashi assured him, "Eh, he'll be fine- Wuya and Dojo are watching him. There wasn't anything you could've done about it anyway."

Not entirely convinced, Guan picked up the discarded candle, sighing, "Dashi, _why_ are you here? I need quiet to try to work."

Shaking his head, the Wind-elemental motioned for his friend to listen to him. "Chase told me everything this morning."

Raising an eyebrow, the Fire Apprentice inquired, "What do you mean by 'everything'?"

Dashi smiled, easing the candle out of the older boy's fingers and nonchalantly tossing it back and forth, from one hand to the other. "Well, he told me all about his crazy plan of hydra-killing and burning and whatnot." He rolled his eyes, chuckling, "He's completely insane, but who knows? It might actually work." More seriously, he continued, "But he also told me that you promised to help him."

The Fire Apprentice snorted. "A promise I'm not likely to be able to keep. Xiaolin monks are supposed to uphold their word, no matter what, and now look at me."

Catching the flying candle deftly in two fingers, the golden-skinned boy interjected, "Come on now, don't say that. Everything's possible one way or another." Scratching his chin thoughtfully, he added, "You know, they say that if somebody closes a door in your face, there's always a window out of which to throw something heavy at them, if you look for it."

Guan raised an eyebrow, thoroughly unimpressed. "I know for a fact that you just made that up, and it was terrible."

Dashi shrugged, returning the candle to the floor with a little twirl. "Proverbs aren't my thing." He paused for a moment, watching Guan stare solemnly at the far wall, before adding nonchalantly, "Chase also mentioned that he wants to marry Dojo."

"_What?_"

Sniggering uncontrollably, the Wind Apprentice said, "Just making sure you were listening." Grinning conspiratorially at his rather embarrassed friend, he added, "Besides, he likes you too much for that."

Smiling in spite of himself, Guan shook his head and reminded the younger boy, "You still haven't actually told me why you're here."

"See, you're smiling!" Dashi teased. 'That's a step in the right direction." At the Fire Apprentice's less-than-amused look, Dashi sighed and instructed, "Hold out your hand."

The Fire-elemental did so, though he looked extremely confused. "What is this about?" When he received no response, he waved his other hand in front of the other monk's round face, asking hesitantly, "...Dashi?"

As though in a trance, Dashi's dark eyes were blank and glassy, and a warm aura of magic began to emanate from his hands. With one finger, he traced the symbol of the five-pointed star in the air above his friend's palm, leaving the faintest trace of shimmering, golden mist. As the other hand smoothly followed the finger's path, the mist grew denser and more material and the shape began to fill in. Slowly, the mist solidified into a shining metal, and the Wind Apprentice traced designs throughout the middle. A faint hissing noise followed the tracings, leaving distinct grooves in the metal, and in a blinding flash of red light, the center became a glittering crimson jewel. The hands became completely still, and for a moment, the hall was eerily silent. Then, Dashi's dark eyes blinked shut, and the magical aura dissipated, leaving the newly created Shen Gong Wu to fall into the stunned Fire Apprentice's hand.

"How did you..." he began softly, fingering the still-warm golden star questioningly.

Dashi smiled. "Give it a name."

Staring intently as the sparkling ruby at the star's center flickered in the moonlight, Guan was reminded of the crackling fireworks that had illuminated the sky at every celebration of the New Year he could remember from back in his small farming village. The people were poor enough to only be able to afford a celebration like that once a year, but he remembered the fireworks being set off one other time- at his beloved older sister's wedding. The first thing that came to mind when he thought about those fireworks was the strange name by which her new husband, who had recently returned from traveling in Japan, had called them, and he whispered it into the chilly evening air. "Hanabi..." Smiling fondly, he repeated more loudly, "Star Hanabi!"

Immediately, the golden Shen Gong Wu flared to life, casting a golden glow on everything in the room. Guan's awed expression and Dashi's excited and triumphant grin grew more luminous as the light grew brighter. Sparks danced through the air between the two young monks and a tiny flame burst from the crimson jewel, swirling up amidst the sparks before alighting on the wick of the completely forgotten candle. And even as the glow faded and the sparks died, the candle burned on.

"See?" the Wind Apprentice grinned. "There's_ always_ a window if you look for it."

Reaching down to pick up the lit candle in the same hand as the Star, Guan began, "I..." before trailing off, not exactly knowing what to say. A moment later, he smiled, shaking his head and finishing, "Thank you, my friend."

"So," the younger monk said as he got up to leave, "are you ready now?"

"...No. But I will be. We all will."

* * *

Later that night, Chase groaned softly as the sound of a door closing disturbed him from his much-needed sleep. Sitting up and absently shoving the thin blanket to the side, he peered groggily around the tiny room for the source of the noise. Puzzled when he saw no one, he eased himself back down onto the sleeping-mat and was about to doze off again when a flickering light caught his eye.

It was a candle, burning merrily in a little makeshift candleholder on the floor next to him. The dark-haired boy understood immediately, and he smiled, letting himself enjoy the tiny warmth and light of it for a moment before turning back over and falling into a much more peaceful sleep.

Yes, they would be ready.

* * *

_End Chapter 6_

* * *

Side note- Fireworks were, in fact, first invented by the Chinese around 200 B.C. and were used in all sorts of celebrations. "Hanabi" is the Japanese word for "firework".

**Next chapter**: The Apprentices have had half a year to recover their strength, both physical and emotional, and they're finally ready to give the hydra a taste of its own medicine. It's time for round two!

As always, feedback is very, very much appreciated.


	8. Chapter 7:1

EDIT 05/11/12- Editing is done! And that includes editing out half of these ranty authors' notes. XD

Time lapse is 6 months, but I think you can figure that out on your own. XD

Enjoy! (it feels so good to get to say that again...)

* * *

_The Beginning of the End_

_Chapter __7__.1_

* * *

"Wow…" Chase shook his head slowly, squinting a bit to make out the outlines of the other Apprentices in the late-night darkness. "It's hard to believe it's been six months."

After fumbling to ignite a flimsy paper lantern with the Star Hanabi, Guan held the dimly-flickering light up in front of him and agreed, "It is, isn't it?" Since it was long past their curfew, all four friends had squeezed into the Fire Apprentice's little corner section of their sleeping quarters to keep out of Master Chang's impressive hearing range. Their hushed whispers were concealed well enough by the walls and thin paper screens, and this was the last chance they would have to prepare.

"Well, you know what they say," Dashi hissed, his trademark grin looking even wider than usual in the glow of the dancing flame. "That time flies when you're having fun."

Wuya snorted quietly. "And exactly _what_ part of the last six months would you consider 'fun'? _Grueling _is more like it."

"I hope you aren't complaining about our missions again," Dashi interjected, sounding genuinely annoyed. "At least when we're on missions, we're actually _doing_ something." He tapped his fingers against the wooden floor impatiently. "What I hate is all the meditation Master Chang has us doing now. I can't sit still that long, it's boring!"

"I _like_ meditation," Guan countered, looking a bit peeved himself. "It's the only time I have during the day to focus on self-development and what I need to work on learning." When the Wind Apprentice shot him a half-skeptical, half-revolted look, he added, "Plus, it's the only time that I get a break from having to listen to you and Wuya's constant bickering."

Raising an eyebrow, Dashi pointed out shortly, "_You_ spend more time arguing with her than I do." From the opposite corner, the dark-skinned girl fidgeted irritably, as though to remind her stubborn male companions that she was, in fact, still in the room.

Guan pursed his lips, unable to think of a clever retort, and opted to remain silent. The truth of it was that the other boy did have a point. In the last half-year, particularly the time shortly after their initial defeat, the Fire and Earth Apprentices had frequently been at odds- her quick temper and his tendency to get sanctimonious made them clash like water on rock. Although Chase often attempted to play mediator and keep the peace between them, he was still too quiet and gentle to really be effective, and they occasionally grew so angry with each other that they stopped listening even to him. On the other hand, Dashi had taken to disappearing completely, sometimes skipping days of training at a time, and if asked where he had been, his only excuse was that he was 'working'.

"Feh," Wuya griped, as only one who was as well-practiced in negativity as she was could, "I'm _still _sick of missions. It feels like we're going on the same one over and over again."

"Well, we _did _deliberately disobey Master Chang's explicit orders, not to mention ran headlong into a situation that was utterly over our heads and nearly got ourselves all killed," Guan pointed out fairly. "We probably should have expected something of a…" He fished for an accurate word for a moment before finishing, "…a demotion."

"I don't care!" she snapped, making a rather unpleasant face. "If I have to knock off _one _more cyclops' head, I'm going to just be _sick_."

None of them even attempted to argue this time, because the Earth Apprentice made a valid point as well- most of their infighting in those first few months had, in the first place, stemmed from the agitation caused by sheer boredom. However, it has taken several unnecessary injuries and a good deal of extra stress for them to realize that venting that boredom by constantly sniping at each other was definitely not helping matters; even if the missions were repetitive and tedious, they couldn't afford to waste time and energy on what Wuya later and rather appropriately dubbed 'silly pissing-contests'. After that, they had come to a sort of mutual agreement to keep their attitudes to themselves and quit taking their frustration out on each other, and although it was difficult, and the arguing by no means completely ceased, they had finally begun to regain some sense of being a team.

It was around that time that the idea of returning to challenge the hydra again had started to resurface, at first only in the occasional doubtful, muttered remark. They grew bolder through time and training, however, and the mutterings eventually grew into excited late-night planning sessions that left the young warriors exhausted but exhilarated- the return of confidence and, even more importantly, of an objective, felt wonderful. And when half a year had finally come and gone, they had decided they were ready for a fresh attempt.

Dashi was still snickering to himself over Wuya's moodiness, but after a moment, his face grew more serious and he changed the subject. "So, is everything ready for tomorrow morning?"

"I assume so," Guan said mildly, shrugging a shoulder. The fact was, he knew perfectly well that Dashi had rather emphatically declared himself to be in charge of the planning and preparations for their little adventure, and that the cocky boy was only asking around for a chance to show off. He knew better than to indulge him.

Wuya, however, did not- either that, or she was already too hot-and-bothered to care. "I wouldn't know, you're the one who decided to be Mister 'I'll-take-care-of-everything' in the first place," she grumbled, snatching up the worn pillow from Guan's sleeping mat and chucking it at the golden-skinned boy.

Grinning infuriatingly, the Wind Apprentice blew a puff of air at the flying pillow and invoked his elemental abilities to magnify it momentarily into a barrier of wind, causing the thin sack of feathers to flop uselessly to the floor before it reached him. Then, just as predicted, he replied self-assuredly, "And so I have, my dear Wuya. Like I said, just trust me."

By then, if the Earth-elemental had been capable of steaming at the ears in her anger, the entire room would have been in a fog. However, instead of arguing, she merely tossed back her wavy red ponytail and muttered defeatedly, "Alright, whatever." She leaned over suddenly and yanked hard on his ear, ignoring his surprised squeak of pain, and hissed, "But stop calling me that!"

"Quit your silly flirting, you'll wake up Master Chang," Guan ordered irritably- they, of course, paid no attention whatsoever. Frowning slightly, he turned to the youngest Apprentice, who was staring distractedly at the simply-decorated paper wall-screen through a curtain of dark hair. Gently placing a hand on his narrow shoulder, the older boy inquired worriedly, "Is something wrong, Chase? You haven't said a word since we got here."

"Yeah, what's eating you?" Dashi asked, as if noticing for the first time that the reticent Water-elemental was even there.

Sighing softly, Chase raised his head and said slowly, "I don't know, really. It's just…it feels so strange, talking about actually _finishing_ this whole…thing." At the other young monks' blank stares, he shook his head and elaborated, "I mean, we've been working and training towards this one objective for so long. What will we have to work for once we've won?"

Dashi blinked. "That's an odd thing to be worried about."

Rising to her feet, the Earth Apprentice padded over to the edge of the screen, peeking out to ascertain that the coast was still clear. Once she was satisfied, she returned to her seat and began slightly hesitantly, "Well, I do see where he's coming from." She frowned to herself; what she failed to comprehend was why the younger boy was so worried about it. Out loud, however, she continued, "We've only been pushing ourselves like we have because we've been obsessing over all this- we're just going to get lazy again once it's over."

Raising an eyebrow, Guan seized the opportunity to poke fun at his semi-friendly rival and pointed out, "True, but you've always been lazy." Moments later, he too received a flying pillow in the face, along with a sizzling glare.

Chuckling quietly, Dashi shook his head and said only half-jokingly, "Don't worry, Chase, I'm sure we'll manage to find _something_ else to work ourselves sick over." He had to fight with himself to refrain from adding 'or at least _you_ will- you always do', and the expression on Guan's face told the Wind Apprentice that the older boy had been thinking the very same thing. Picking up the wayward pillow and lightly tossing it back to its proper place at the head of the sleeping mat, he added sagely, "After all, with each step down the road comes new holes in said road that must be jumped over before one can proceed."

Three pairs of eyebrows shot up.

"Well…" Guan mused in a mixture of amusement and disbelief, "that _was_ one of Master Chang's sayings, until you mutilated it." He glanced over at Chase, who had again withdrawn into complete silence, and felt a nagging suspicion that his younger companion had not voiced _all_ that was troubling him.

"So?" Dashi countered a bit sheepishly, seemingly unaware of his friend's dissatisfaction. "Doesn't stop the saying from being true." Yawning, he got to his feet and said, "I don't know about you, but I'm completely exhausted. Besides, if we actually want to be functioning tomorrow, we need sleep."

"Wisest thing he's said all night," Guan muttered to Wuya.

Dashi twitched. "_So_, good night all, and I will see you _way _too early in the morning." After an exaggerated mock-bow, he shuffled out past the wall-screen.

"I've about had it as well," Wuya grumbled crossly. Offering a discreet smile to Chase and a curt nod to Guan, she too left for her own bed, and after a moment of silence, the Water-elemental murmured a barely audible goodnight and did the same.

Sighing quietly, the only remaining Apprentice crawled over to his sleeping mat, adjusting the abused pillow and pulling the thin blanked up over his legs. Reaching over into the opposite corner, he picked up the paper lantern and quickly blew it out. Immediately, the room grew utterly pitch-dark, and the only noise that could be heard was the faint chirping of crickets from outside the temple walls. Restless and wide awake, the Fire-elemental tossed back and forth, striving in vain to find a comfortable position. For a moment, he considered feeling around for the lantern to light it up again, but decided that it wasn't worth the effort, and again closed his eyes in his fruitless search for sleep.

Not ten minutes later, he was brought back to awareness by a faint but persistent knocking on the wall next to him. He squinted at the figure's barely visible silhouette- too short to be Dashi, and not nearly enough hair to be Wuya, so it had to be Chase. Besides, only Chase would consciously try so hard to be polite that he would knock on the _wall_ in the absence of a door. Just that tiny gesture that was so very characteristic of his partner both amused him and warmed his heavy heart and, smiling fondly, he inquired, "Chase? What are you doing up?"

"Oh!" The younger boy sounded surprised and embarrassed, but in an overly-innocent sort of way, almost like a child caught with one hand in the cookie jar. "I…erm…" Guan's mouth twisted into a tiny smirk- even though he couldn't see Chase very well, he could practically _hear_ his face turning red purely through his voice. The stammering Water Apprentice soldiered on. "Can I…ah…can I sleep with you tonight?"

Guan was taken aback; after all the hesitation, he hadn't really known what he was expecting the other boy to say…but it most definitely had not been that. "…Why?" After a moment, he began in a poor attempt at slyness, "I do seem to remember something about chastity in the rules of the Xiaolin order, but if you insist-"

"Not like that!" Chase burst out hurriedly, obviously flustered. "I only meant-"

By then, Guan was almost laughing outright- he knew he really ought not to be amused by his poor friend's distress, but it was difficult not to be. "I was only teasing, Chase- you know that I know what you meant. …But really, why?" He reached out, tugging on the other boy's sleeve when he felt the fabric of it between his fingers. The Water Apprentice moved to sit against the wall next to his companion, but as soon as he did so, he pulled his knees to his chest and let the curtain of soft, dark hair fall into his face again, still resolutely silent. Recalling the younger boy's similar behavior earlier, Guan frowned and asked a bit tentatively, "Is something troubling you outside of the things you told us earlier?"

Chase appeared somewhat surprised at being asked this directly, but then admitted reluctantly, "Sort of." As he continued to speak, his voice grew stronger, and Guan was surprised to hear a resentful undertone behind his words. "It's just…I've been thinking. Perhaps I've done too much thinking. I didn't say anything earlier because I didn't want all of us going into battle tomorrow thinking these things." When he felt his friend's much larger hand come to rest over his own, he sighed and continued, "I've begun to believe that we're…I don't even know…blowing this whole situation out of proportion."

Guan's worry gave way to genuine curiosity, and he inquired slowly, "What do you mean, out of proportion?"

For the first time that evening, the Water-elemental turned and looked his companion directly in the eye. "Look at us. We're supposed to be Xiaolin Warriors, defeating evil for the sake of doing good and protecting the common people. But now…we were defeated once, and we took it so personally. That in itself isn't so bad, but we took it personally for the wrong reasons. Our only objective in wanting to engage this creature again is to make ourselves feel better, to alleviate the shame." He shook his head in frustration. "But see, that's what I mean- yes, we messed up, but there didn't have to be that kind of shame in one defeat. We just…we turned it into so much bigger of a deal than it ever needed to be. And now, tomorrow morning…we won't be doing any _real_ good whether we win or not. It feels…petty." His soft voice was pained, and Guan realized that it was because he was disappointed in himself, because he had felt that same shame, that same obsessive desire for revenge. True, Chase was proud and always wanted to improve himself, but he was the kind of person who genuinely desired to do good in the world, and the shame he now felt was for his own selfishness.

Before he had any real idea of how to respond, Guan found himself saying, "…I know. I never really sat down and put all the pieces together, but I think I've known that for a while now. To be honest, I'm just looking forward to having the whole thing over with and being able to move on with life. But you're wrong about nothing positive coming from this." The Water Apprentice let out a tiny, skeptical noise, so the older boy continued, "Look at how wise you've gotten."

The statement itself was simple, yet when Chase tried to reply, he found himself overwhelmed, struggling to hold back the tears that had been threatening to fall for the weeks upon weeks of stress and doubt. These tears, though, were tears of relief, and all he managed to choke out was, "…Thank you…"

"You were the one who gave me confidence in myself…so many times. I've never had it on my own," the Fire Apprentice admitted. "I'm glad to be able to give even just a little of that back to you."

"…"

Suddenly struck by an extremely disconcerting thought, Guan turned sharply to his smaller companion, gripping his narrow shoulders firmly so that he could not turn away. "Chase, I want you to promise me something." When Chase, who had been caught off guard, gave a tiny, wide-eyed nod, he went on, "I know you feel we shouldn't be fighting this battle tomorrow, but the fact is...we are. So I want you to swear that you're still going to fight as hard as you possibly can and take care of yourself." The fingers clutching the Water Apprentice's shoulders were trembling now, and his voice carried a hint of desperation. "You practically said it yourself- this battle isn't worth dying for, and I…last time was so close…"

"I know…" The younger monk allowed his eyes to slide shut and, after a momentary pause, assured his friend the tiniest bit hesitantly, "…Of course I promise."

Noticing that the Water Apprentice's entire frame was quivering slightly even as he spoke, Guan asked bluntly, "Are you afraid?"

Shaking his head, Chase said slowly, "No, that's not it…" This time, his tone made it clear that he was telling the truth, and not lying to preserve his precious dignity as he had done when asked similar questions in the past. "A little nervous, maybe, but not afraid."

"…Well, I suppose that makes sense- we probably all are." The smallest of discreet smiles made its way to Guan's lips as he asked his final question, "But then, why did you come to me tonight in the first place? I don't think you really intended to start that whole conversation."

"I…" The Water Apprentice's voice was barely even a whisper, his eyes downcast, and for the first time in years, Guan was struck by the fact that Chase was almost three years younger than he was. On a day-to-day basis, it was certainly noticeable, but even so, the gap had never _felt_ all that significant to him before. Suddenly, though, fourteen-and-a-half and seventeen seemed so much farther apart. He ran a hand through Chase's hair as the younger finished quietly, "...I just didn't want to be alone."

"You're not," the Fire Apprentice answered, stroking the other's collarbone gently with one of his thumbs and mentally reassuring himself of the same thing. Pressing a kiss somewhere into his companion's hair in the darkness, he smiled and said, "Come on, you know we both need sleep."

In grateful acceptance of the invitation, Chase cuddled closer and closed his eyes, hoping to escape to the realm of sleep for a few hours before the coming of the dawn.

* * *

_End Chapter 7.1_

_Continued in Chapter 7.2_

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**Feedback is always very much appreciated!** (Honestly, I really want to know who's still reading this...)


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